


Book 1--The Mystery

by Wild_Sylleblossom



Series: The Mystery [1]
Category: Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Also forgive me if Hans is out of character here., I tagged some of the Tangled characters because they're mentioned quite a few times., I was really trying., Multi, Probably might add more tags in the future., Then again I'm revising this so there's that., There'll also be a few made up places here., This was made around 2016 so any new information beyond that is probably not in here., oc x oc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2020-04-11 20:25:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19117084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wild_Sylleblossom/pseuds/Wild_Sylleblossom
Summary: Hans is granted a second chance by a criminal known as the Mystery, someone people have only heard rumors about. How and why the Mystery decided to go out of his way to do this was beyond Hans, and frankly it bothered him. But once the Mystery's plan goes into action, it's only a matter of time before something bigger begins to develop.





	1. A Message

**Author's Note:**

> Since I've never done a summary for this story it's subject to change over time. Or it might not change. Let's see how this goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after Frozen Fever.

I’ve seen everything.

I’ve seen them as kids, the elder hitting the other in the head, the years of isolation from people, the Coronation, Arendelle becoming a kingdom of ice, the journey to find her; everything.

You could call me a stalker, but I’m not. I have gifts of the mind, gifts that tell me where to go at the right times, gifts that tell me people of interest.

I’ve been on my own for ten years. You could call that a long time. I’ve also been wanted for ten years. You act out of self defense and they all of a sudden call you a murderer, a thief. Well news flash, people—it’s called surviving.

I don’t talk much, but I’m a thinker and a fast runner. You have to be fast out on the streets, ‘else you’re dead—literally in my case. You have to be tough, ‘else you’re dead.

But of course you’re not here for lessons on how to survive out on the streets. You’re here for entertainment. Well you’re in luck, ‘cause I have an interesting story to tell.

From what I’ve told you, you probably think I’m tougher than nails and close to unbreakable. But of course everyone has their own opinions, sometimes the wrong ones.

 

                                  ~ _The Mystery_


	2. A New Threat?

It was midnight in the kingdom of Arendelle, and everyone was sound asleep save for the royal guards dutifully standing watch. But crouched on the apex of a roof, however, was a masked figure. The hood of his cloak shrouded his face, and a navy blue scarf concealed the lower half of his face. Eyes the color of a light jade stone stood out in the darkness, focusing on the ground below. The courtyard had a few lit torches here and there, and the place was so quiet you could hear the guards’ footfalls.

The navy blue clad figure had eyes for a lone food cart, but near it were a few guards. Taking a fist-sized rock from his pocket, he chucked it at a bin. The noise caught two guards’ attention, and the duo shortly went in the direction of the sound.

_Oldest trick in the book_ , he thought.

He waited for them to turn a corner before slipping down to the ground. He looked left, then right, and stealthily made his way to the other side of the courtyard. Taking out a bag tucked into a simple black belt, he stuffed as much food as he could into the bag.

“Hey, who’s there?”

The hooded figure’s head shot up as he froze in place, his hand directly over a shiny red apple. From behind the culprit, a shift in position was heard.

“Turn around.”

He remained in place as the target apple was dropped into the bag.

“I said turn around!”

Footsteps from the corner the duo of guards went behind were heard, and one pair of feet stopped.

“It’s him,” one of the guards hissed. “The Mystery!”

The Mystery then bolted back the way he came.

“Stop! Thief! Quick, cut him off!”

The first guard to stop the thief wielded a spear, and he brandished it toward the Mystery. Having to halt, the Mystery turned around only to have swordsmen a few feet away. The two corner guards began to close in on the green-eyed thief, forcing him away from the castle.

“Nowhere to run,” the spearman sneered.

Having no other choice, the Mystery pulled out a mocha-colored leather whip and cracked it at the spearman’s spear, flinging the weapon out of reach. More guards tried to seize him, but another crack of the whip forced the group of twelve back. Then the fight truly began.

The first two guards were brought down with a slide kick, and another was quickly elbowed and kicked back. Three more were forced to stumble back against a shoulder charge, giving the Mystery time to run. But close behind was a pair of footsteps.

Rolling to the left and darting back, the Mystery kicked the back of a guard’s knee. A strong hand suddenly grasped the Mystery’s wrist and yanked him up, and a spike of fear shot through the Mystery. Retaliating, he blindly punched the guard's throat and ripped his wrist free. Seizing another opportunity, the Mystery tried to climb onto a roof when someone yanked him down. The thief grasped onto the roof with a death grip, and he kicked blindly, but that wasn’t enough to free him. Within moments the Mystery was face-first onto the ground and too dazed to move. Two guards hastily jerked him up onto his feet, and an apple rolled out of the fallen bag.

The Mystery’s heart raced as one guard walked to the bag and picked up the apple. The apple glinted in the moonlight with every turn as the guard laughed to himself.

“Stealing food, eh?” the guard asked.

The dark fruit was tossed up and down a few times, and it was soon sent hurtling towards the Mystery.

Reacting quickly enough, the green-eyed figure yanked one of the guards holding him to the front. The apple collided with a forehead, and the guard dropped like a sack of potatoes. The Mystery then slammed his foot onto the other guard's and elbowed his gut. To finish him off he head-butted the man, rendering him unconscious as well. The knees of several guards were whipped, and cries of pain filled the air. The Mystery then snatched up the fallen bag and bolted off.

“He’s headed for the castle!” one guard exclaimed.

The whip latched onto a hook, and the thief flew through the air. His leather boots made contact with a rooftop, and he desperately shot for the front of the courtyard. In an attempt to bring him down, the remaining guards threw spears and swords up at the Mystery.

Upon hearing all the commotion, the queen and princess of Arendelle as well as several townsfolk came out just as the Mystery was about to jump over the wall of the courtyard’s entrance. He looked back at the royals, and he felt two familiar twinges in his brain. One was cool and gentle, and the other was warm and spirited.

_It's them_ , he thought.

The shouts of citizens and guards alike jerked him out of his thoughts, and without another moment's hesitation, he disappeared over the wall.

“Who _was_ that?” Princess Anna asked. The citizens' concerned murmurs could be heard clearly.

“What happened here?” Queen Elsa asked.

“That wretched Mystery stole some food, Your Majesties,” the lead guard replied.

One of the remaining guards was checking the pulse of the one who was punched in the throat. But after a few moments, he removed his hat and looked up at his leader with a genuinely concerned expression.

“I-is he. . . ?” Anna started.

The guard nodded. “Along with injuring several of our men, the Mystery also managed to render two others unconscious."

Elsa pulled her robe tighter around her upon seeing the still guards, an apple by one of them.

“Your Majesties, he’s been wanted for years now. He’s been known for roaming around the world, he’s dangerous, and now he’s here.” The lead guard sighed and held his hands behind his back. “I know you won’t like this, but we will have to close the gates.”

Anna almost stopped breathing for a second. Her sister and she loved the open gates now, and the queen’s expression seemed to reflect Anna’s thoughts.

“It’s for your own protection.”

Elsa wrapped the fingers on her right hand around her left thumb, holding both hands up to her chest. “How long will they be closed?”

“Only until we’re sure he’s left Arendelle for good.”

The co-leader snorted. “All we need now is for Westergaard to break out of prison.”

“Hush! You never know. It might happen.”

“Um, quick question,” Anna started. “How long exactly has this Mystery guy been wanted?”

“Ten years, princess. Rumor has it that he’s the most dangerous criminal alive. He’s a silent killer. At least, that’s what the kingdom of Corona claims.”

Elsa blinked. The more the Mystery was described to her the more frightened she became. Not just for her family, but for her kingdom as well.

“But, not to worry. We’ll be on his tail in no time.”  


	3. The Unlucky Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you can guess who makes their debut.

Early the next day in the Southern Isles, a guard walked to a prison cell with a tray of food. He stopped at the end of the hall and turned left to face the prisoner—Hans Westergaard. The green-eyed man sat with his back against the wall, unmoving. His right knee was pulled up, and his right arm was resting on it. His head was tilted at a slight downward angle, and he looked to the floor. His red hair had lost its form and was tangled and messy. His usual princely attire was far from princely, having wears and tears in his clothes and gloves. His once shiny boots were now dull and dirty, and overall, he looked miserable.

The jailor slid the food under the bars. “Such a pity, being unlucky number thirteen and tried with treason. You probably already know that your family is _very_ disappointed in you.”

No response.

The jailor walked off, his footsteps echoing down the hall. At the end of those footfalls, a door slammed shut.

Running his fingers through his hair, Hans tilted his head back and groaned. His eyes shifted down to his food, and he moved his arm to grab something off his tray. Savage squeaking was heard, and rats hungrily skittered to the tray of food, startling Hans and making him stand up and jump back. When the rats left, there was nothing but crumbs. Hans groaned. So much for breakfast. . . .

A small bag was suddenly slipped through the bars of the cell’s window, and the bag landed on the metal bed with a soft _thud._ Hans turned around to see a navy blue figure at the window hanging by a whip. Startled once again, the ex-prince took a few steps back and reached for his sword. Only, it wasn't on him anymore.

The figure gestured to the bag with his eyes. Not taking his own eyes off the suspended person, Hans reached for the bag and peered into it. And inside were fruits and the occasional bread.

He opened his mouth to say some sort of thanks when he saw no one at the window. Seeing something on his right, he turned his head to see a wanted poster of the—boy?—he had just seen.

 

**Wanted—The Mystery**

Thievery, Murder

Looks: navy blue clothing and cloak

Physical features: light jade eyes

Weapons: leather whip, fists

 

The description was all under a picture of a hooded and masked figure, the only spark of bright color seeming to be the eyes. The reward for capture was $300,000.

Sitting on his hard bed with the bag in hand, Hans began to wonder why a thief and murderer, specifically that one, would go out of his way to give him food when he really could be doing something else. Or maybe he had imagined the person at the window.

Then what would explain the bag he now possessed?

Suddenly he heard voices from down the hall. He went to the farthest corner of his cell and strained his hearing.

“. . . time we end this,” a gruff voice said.

“How many times have I told you? We wait for His Majesty’s orders,” a second voice said, irritated.

“I say the sooner he dies the better it’ll be for everyone. We’ll finally be rid of the troublemaker.”

“I agree, but we have to wait.”

_Who are they talking about? Me, or the Mystery?_ Hans thought.

“Anyways,” the gruff voice continued, “how about that thief whose been wanted for ten years?”

_Ten years?!_

“Ten you say?” the second voice started. “Bah! I’ve heard of one whose been wanted for fifteen.”

“Oh she’s just a legend in a book,” the gruff voice protested.

“Legend or not she was a murderer with no soul.”

“Well no matter. That murderer they call ‘the Mystery’ was seen in Arendelle last night. Stole some food and killed a man with a single punch. A single punch!”

“I’d like to see what else he can do.”

“I can do that, but better.”

“You did one time. Remember 1834?”

“Oh yes. I almost tore off his head, that rascal.”

Hans put a hand to his throat and swallowed. Suddenly the rest of the pear didn’t seem that great.

“Now you can’t,” the second voice said, a little disappointed.

“Bah. I could—wait did you see that?” The gruff voice sounded suddenly startled.

“See what?”

“Look there! A black blur! Don’t tell me you didn’t see that.”

“You’ve been eating too much—there! I saw it!”

Hans heard someone shift in position.

“You there!” a third voice exclaimed.

“Yes sir!” More shifting in footing.

“A message from His Majesty King William about Hans’s fate.” Hans's heart stopped beating for a second.

“What of it?”

“He has decided that Hans Westergaard be hanged at noon.”

“Finally!” the gruff voice cheered.

Hans slid down against the wall. He felt like puking up what little breakfast he had. He didn’t want to die, but he also didn’t deserve to live. It was enough they threw him in prison after having him shovel horse manure for who knows how long.

“It’s only eight in the morning, so I suggest you ready the gallows,” the third voice said.

Hans’s stomach went into knots.

Four hours left to live.


	4. Rescue

The Mystery slipped deeper into the shadows of the Southern Isles docks and sunk into the water. He took one last look at the ex-prince’s cell before holding his breath and ducking under. Taking this route for ten years had gotten his eyes used to being open in salt water. It was a painful process, but it paid off in the end. The Mystery was lucky he didn’t dehydrate his eyes.

Five minutes went by, and the vegetation in the water rippled and changed. Kicking his legs, he swam up to break the surface and inhaled deeply. Ahead of him was an uncharted, unexplored small forest untouched by man. This was a forest that was in between Arendelle and the Southern Isles. Although miles of ocean separated the two kingdoms, the forest resided in a mystical realm that lay between them. It was only accessible through water once you crossed to the other side of the forest, and you had to stay underwater for a set amount of time. The Mystery didn’t know what would happen if one were to stick his head above the water, and he didn’t plan on finding out.

He came out of the water and dried himself, squeezing out the water in his cloak. Then he climbed a tree relatively close to the shore. Picking a single leaf from the branch he was on, he let it drift to the surface of the water. The ripples it caused formed an image of the gallows in the Southern Isles in the water. A redhead, the gruff-voiced man, was setting up the rope for Hans.

The Mystery leaned back, and the image faded away. He could break him out now, but that would be messy. He could also wait and continue to watch the prince until the time came. That would be interesting, but there would be tons of villagers to watch him be executed as well as a lot of guards. The first option seemed easier, but he never liked taking the easy way out. Sometimes it lead to consequences.

One problem for the first one would be getting caught and having to drag the prince into a fight. He’d seen Hans fight, but now he had no sword. So he’d have to fist fight. In a way, he was slightly impressed by Hans’s skills.

And then there was the second option—waiting. If this was done everything would have to be timed perfectly, every possibility to be expected. One slip up, and bye-bye prince. Of course there was the fighting of a thousand guards. And there’d be witnesses. Tons of them. The more the second option was considered, the more it was agreed upon.

He saw something in that Hans, something he found very intriguing. He wasn’t sure how to describe it, but he figured he would in due time. Hans needed a second chance, and the Mystery knew it.

Now he just needed to make a decision.

 

**___________**

 

The cell door opened, causing Hans to look up.

“It’s time,” the gray-eyed jailor said.

The redhead swallowed. Three guards came in and seized him, two to grab his arms and one to hold him down by the nape. Faint murmurs of a crowd were heard outside by the gallows. Hans didn’t want to die. Not yet, at least.

He shouldered the guards at his sides and kicked back before bolting forward, not looking back. Four guards tackled him down, and they brought him up roughly.

“You’re not going anywhere, you treasonous scum.” The jailor spat on the ground by Hans.

The group then walked outside, causing Hans to squint at the sudden sunlight. The crowds got louder the closer they came to the gallows. And soon they reached the walkway that lead to the place.

“There he is!” a voice shouted.

As the group made their way through, boo's and hissing were heard as people from both sides threw things at Hans. Not far from where he was stood the Mystery, and a passing guard spotted him. In an instant he grabbed the guard’s head and rammed it into a wall. The man slid down unconscious as the Mystery moved on, and he knocked out any other guards that came across him. Soon he was close enough to the post but far enough so he wouldn’t be seen.

“Execute him!” a woman shouted.

The guards tied Hans’s hands behind him as the loop went around his neck. But he remained emotionless despite his suffocating fear.

Westergaards didn't do emotions.

The jailor took his position at the lever and wrapped his gloved hand around the lever. The Mystery readied a knife as the jailor tightened his grip.

The knife flew.

The trap door wasn’t even open when the noose was cut, the blade shaking as it stood inches above Hans’s head. The crowd gasped.

Another knife shot out of the shadows and struck behind the knee of a guard. The crowd began to panic.

A dagger lodged itself into another guard’s forearm. A throwing star flew toward the jailor and sliced his right Achilles tendon.

“Ambush!” The hip of the guard was struck with another throwing star. The onlookers ran in a flurry of terror.

This was the Mystery’s chance to go.

He bolted out of the shadows and sliced through Hans's ropes before removing the noose. To his surprise, the Mystery had come to his rescue.


	5. Questions

“It’s him! The Mystery! Get him!” the jailor yelled, using a spear as support.

“How did you—”

A sheathed sword was shoved into Hans’s gut before he could continue. A yell was heard from behind him, and he unsheathed the new weapon to disarm the charging guard. With the butt of the sword he knocked him out in a swift movement.

Meanwhile with the Mystery he was punching and kicking like there was no tomorrow, and Hans made his way to him to at least try to help him out. Obviously he was younger than he was since he was shorter. But then again he’s met men his age who were shorter than him. But soon the newly made duo was back to back.

“Who are you?” Hans asked, his voice cracking from a lack of voice usage.

The Mystery remained silent.

“Can you hear me?”

That got him a fierce elbow in the back. He was suddenly yanked down just as a whip cracked in the air. Three different yells were heard as three guards held their eyes.

Unexpectedly the Mystery locked arms with Hans, hoisted the man onto his back, and spun around so Hans could kick the guards. When the circle was broken Hans was set down and dragged away from the scene. Clearly Hans’s mind was running. First a criminal gives him breakfast, a rescue was initiated in order to save his neck, and now he was being pulled away from maybe thirty guards. Maybe he would get his answers soon. Or not at all.

“Who are you?!” the green-eyed prince asked again.

As his response, he watched the whip latch onto a hook.

“Oh no.”

Suddenly Hans was swinging in the air, and he found himself yelling. His boots landed on a rooftop seconds later, and he heard a grunt from the Mystery.

“Fire!” a voice commanded, and bolts and spears were shot and thrown at the duo.

The Mystery ran off, Hans following as a spear missed him by mere inches. The duo kept rooftop jumping until the Mystery disappeared when he jumped down. The sounds of the chaos they left behind grew quieter as Hans jumped down after the guy, rolling forward once he hit the ground. The docks were not too far ahead.

As they both ran, he wondered if the Mystery was either going to steal a rowboat or dive into the water like the crazy guy he is. Judging by what actions he took recently, Hans was guessing that they’d be swimming for a while. But to where, was the big question. He found his suspicions to be right when the Mystery dove into the water after sucking in a breath. Reluctantly, Hans held his breath and took a dip into the salty water. Just where did this criminal think he was going to go?

 

The crowd back at the gallows had dispersed and retreated to their homes, leaving several injured guards and other ones unconscious.

The jailor scoffed. “Great. Just perfect. His Majesty isn’t going to be pleased.”

“Should we alert Arendelle?” a guard asked.

“No, you idiot!”

“It’d be wise,” the co-head guard said. “Even though our countries aren’t the best of allies, we should. If we come meaning no harm then I’m sure the queen there will listen to us.”

The jailor mumbled to himself in thought. “Fine, but get the king’s permission first. And if you get yourself killed it’s your own fault.”

 

The Mystery waited for Hans to come to the shore as he leaned against a tree. It was roughly one-thirty in the afternoon. But luckily the redhead had a good set of lungs on him to last the trip.

“Where did you take me?” Hans asked, squeezing the water out of his gloves.

The Mystery walked off.

“Wait!” Hans followed, slipping his gloves back on. “Can you speak?”

Still, the Mystery walked.

“We won’t get anywhere if you don’t speak.”

A fist-sized rock was launched straight at his gut, but Hans had fast reflexes to avoid it.

Eventually the duo reached a part of the woods where there was a canopy of trees above them, sunlight streaming through the leaves.

Hans stopped by a tree. “Do you use sign language?”

The Mystery gave him a head shake.

“You choose not to speak.”

A nod.

“Then tell me why you saved me when you could’ve left me for dead.”

The Mystery walked behind a tree and grabbed a few pieces of paper and a home-fashioned pencil. He wrote something down before showing it to Hans. And his handwriting was nicer than Hans thought it would be.

_~Do you trust me?_

“No. I don’t.” Hans thought back to the conversation he had overheard. “You killed a man in Arendelle.”

_~Self defense._

Hans didn’t say a word for a few moments. “You stole food.”

_~I need to live, genius._

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. “The reward for you capture is $300,000.”

_~What else is new?_

“Aren’t you afraid of being captured?”

The Mystery hesitated, longer than he wanted to. ~ _Yes._

“So . . . why did you go through all that trouble?”

_~You’re special. I sense it._

Hans didn’t know whether to think of that as a compliment, weird, or patronizing.

The Mystery wrote something else only to stop. He studied the paper for a few moments before crumpling it up and heading for the tree.

“What were you going to say?”

He stopped in his place. _Can't keep him completely in the dark._

Biting back a sigh, the Mystery smoothed out the crumpled paper and wrote again, appearing as if he was choosing his words.

_~I'm giving you a second chance. You weren't always cruel and manipulative._

“How could you know anything about me?” Hans snapped. “You’re nothing but a murderer and a thief.”

The Mystery wrote again. ~ _So are you._

Hans found himself at a loss of words, and he hated it.

Seeing his expression, the Mystery crumpled up the paper again and climbed up a tree, leaving Hans stewing in his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've read the book "A Frozen Heart" so I'll be adding/featuring things from there into here.


	6. Distasteful Hatred With a Dash of Research

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of cameos of a certain kingdom.

King William Westergaard slammed his fist onto the armrest of his throne, his dark eyes glowing with anger.

“Your men are hunting them down as we speak, Your Majesty,” the advisor said.

William ran his fingers through his black hair and massaged his forehead. “Tell me again how this happened.”

“According to the co-head guard they were attacked by shadow first, and then the people went into panic. That’s when the Mystery appeared.”

“I see.”

The advisor continued on with the explanation that the king’s attention drifted back and forth from. William was the fourth son to his parents, who were now deceased. He had an heir who would become king. He had his queen. He had clawed his way to the throne and didn’t plan on giving it up any time soon. There was no way he was going to let his little runt of a brother take his throne now.

“. . . with your permission we’ve sent someone out to warn Arendelle about them.”

“Why did I agree to that when they could call that a threat, going unannounced or uninvited? We’re not exactly friendly to each other now.”

“That’s under control, sire.”

“But my brother isn’t. He’s an accident waiting to happen.”

“Of course sir.”

 

Various books laid scattered across a table lit by sunlight. Most of them were about the history of neighboring countries. Some were about criminals deemed a myth. But there was one book that a certain princess was currently scrutinizing.

The history of Corona was an interesting one, and Anna was wondering why she hadn’t even touched this one in all of the spare time she’s ever had. (Or maybe she had brushed upon it in her lessons and she couldn’t remember much.) It spoke of a long and bitter war between the kingdom and its sworn enemy Saporia. Both sides had fought with such ferocity, it was bizarre to Anna how much anger the two kingdoms had.

At some point General Shampanier of Saporia invaded Corona, and while her soldiers flooded the kingdom she eventually breeched the castle itself. There was where she faced off against King Herz Der Sonne, her sworn enemy. The two were said to have engaged in a heated duel to end their feud once and for all. But, when Shampanier discovered that the last pages of Der Sonne’s journal revealed his feelings for her, she realized the feelings were mutual. Their love for each other was made known, and the war between Corona and Saporia ended peacefully, uniting the kingdoms forevermore.

“Hah! True love _does_ conquer all,” Anna thought aloud.

She continued to skim over the book and its talk of prosperity and other small wars until she came across a passage that piqued her curiosity.

 

_Queen Arianna had fallen gravely ill while with child. In an attempt to save his wife, King Frederic and his people searched high and low for a way to save their beloved queen—_

 

The rest of the sentence was hastily scribbled out, and Anna had to squint to even decipher it.

“ ‘Ma . . . gol . . . er . . . with . . . gni . . . ent . . . he. . . .’ How can anyone read that?”

Anna was squinting so hard her eyes were nearly closed. But the rest of the passage carried on despite the mistake.

 

_With the cure found, the queen and her child were saved. Their child, named Ra—_

 

_Knock knock knock._

Anna jumped. “C-come in!”

The door opened, and all she could see was a mini snow flurry coming her way.

“Oh. Hey, Olaf!”

“Hello.” He looked at her table. “That’s a lot of books.”

“I’m hoping to go through all of them to help Elsa out with the Mystery.”

“What mystery?”

“No no the Mystery’s a person. He’s the one that stole some food last night and . . . scared everyone.”

“Oh.” Olaf went on his tiptoes to look at the books on the table. “Did you find him?”

“Not yet, but I did find something else.” Anna showed him the partially scribbled out sentence. “This part’s been taken out. It’s like someone didn’t want people to know what cured the queen here.”

“Sounds like another mystery!”

“Right? It’s so weird. . . .” _Why would anyone not want people to know what helped someone?_

“Ooh! Maybe I can help.”

“Oh sure! Uh start with. . . .” Anna looked at the book she had blindly grabbed— _Deadliest Criminals Known and Unknown to Man._ “Not this one.” Anna put the book down and gave Olaf a history book before continuing with hers.

 

_Their child, named Rapunzel, would soon grow up to become the new queen of Corona._

_But that was not meant to be._

 

"What happened?" Anna murmured.

 

_In the night, the princess was kidnapped, and she was never seen or heard from again. The king and queen were devastated, and so were their people. So, in hopes that their princess would return home, the kingdom released hundreds of lanterns into the sky on her birthday so that she may find her way home._

_And eighteen years later, Princess Rapunzel did find her way home to her family—with the help of expert thief and criminal Flynn Rider._

 

“Hey I’ve read a book about him!”

“About who?” Olaf asked.

“Flynn Rider. Or Flynnigan. Oh wait until I tell Elsaa-ohh woah wait a minute. Focus, Anna. Focus! I have to help Elsa.”

Olaf gave her a quizzical expression as she held the book closer to her face. But after a few moments a small squeal slipped out of her.

“But he was an actual—person! Oh I used to love reenacting his adventures!”

“Ooh! I love adventures!” Olaf beamed. “Tell me about his!”

 

“Keep those sails steady!” the captain ordered.

The messenger’s gray eyes studied the horizon with little to no real attention on it, the sea breeze gently tugging at his blonde hair. He hadn’t been a messenger for too long, but it was long enough to know the routines.

If he was being honest, the boy actually liked Hans (all murderous intents aside). To him the man was misunderstood, which was something he could relate to. The messenger was just your average Joe; a bit unsure of himself sometimes, loyal, and pretty intelligent. If anyone found out that he didn’t agree with the whole “execution of Hans” thing, he’d be toast.

He was looking forward to seeing Arendelle with his own eyes, though. Prince Lars had told him it was a lovely kingdom with quite the equally lovely landscape. Its people were kind, and its monarchs were just as so. As of recently the current ruler was Queen Elsa, having been crowned upon the death of her parents. Of course, the only Southern Isles royal that had actually gone to her coronation was Hans. And everyone knew what happened with him.

“People have said Arendelle had been shrouded in mystery,” Lars had told him. “It didn’t interact as much with its allies and trading partners until recently.”

“Weird,” the blonde had replied. “Why do you think it was so mysterious?”

“No one’s sure. Maybe they were just shy, but that’s highly doubtful. Of course you’ll be heading there soon, so you’ll be able to see for yourself. You’ll let me know what the kingdom is like, will you?”

“Uh sure. Might as well update that bank of knowledge of yours.”

“How about that Mystery, ey?” one of the crew members started, rousing the messenger from his thoughts.

“Why did he even bother rescuing that forsaken prince in the first place?” another said. “The whole family despises him!”

“Not his late mother. She was a kind soul, no doubt.”

“The complete opposite of that Mystery. My luck’s on him getting to that blasted disgrace of a prince first.”

“I heard tales of that one!” a third crew member shouted. “Ruthless wretch, he is. I read he could’ve rivaled the Stabbington brothers.”

The messenger swallowed. He’d read about those two in a history book. The brothers were ruthless, cruel, and wouldn’t hesitate to kill you in cold blood.

“You’re exaggerating,” the first member said.

“Nonsense!” the third member justified.

“My brother can barely walk thanks to that _wretch_ ,” the second crew member spat. “I’ll hang that Mystery myself when I get my hands on him.”

“What are you three going on about?” the captain retorted, making the trio and the messenger jump. “Get back to work!”

The trio sounded replies before going off toward their stations, and the messenger couldn’t help sighing in relief. Any more talk about the Mystery and he would’ve jumped ship.

_Just focus on what Arendelle will be like. Yeah that’s a good idea_ , he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So since Hans's brothers' names haven't all been revealed I'll be giving them names. I'll also be doing my take on other things about them.


	7. Pressing for Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably could've done better with the chapter title but oh well.

Hans sharpened his newly acquired sword at the base of a tree. It was different from his own in the sense that it wasn’t tailored to him. It was also heavier and didn’t quite feel right in his hand. But it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

He glanced up to an empty spot across from him. Earlier the Mystery had taken off without warning. He had asked where he was going and the Mystery merely handed him a piece of paper that read “going to get food.”

“Aren’t there fruit in these trees?” he had asked.

The Mystery rolled his hand and pointed to the note. Resisting an eye roll, Hans turned the paper over.

_~There’s no produce here. And no animals to hunt, either._

“So your solution is to steal,” Hans summed up, to which the Mystery nodded.

After that nothing more was said. Or rather, the Mystery had walked off before Hans could pester him further.

Hans rolled his eyes. He wondered how long he was going to put up with this criminal. He could take care of himself. He didn’t need anyone looking out for him. No one else ever did that for him, not even his own father. But at least he had his mother and his brother Lars. And of course there was Richard. Although Hans was sure he did most of the looking after when it came to Richard.

_"You weren't always cruel and manipulative.”_

Hans caught his reflection in his sword. Maybe the Mystery was right about that. He wasn’t always like this. And now that he thought about it. . . .

He was just like the rest of his family.

His grip tightened on the handle.

He knew Lars would be disappointed in him. His mother for sure would be as well if she were alive. And Richard? He didn’t even know where to being.

Hans scoffed. Why was he even thinking these things?

_“I'm giving you a second chance.”_

Why would the Mystery even bother?

_Because I wasn’t always cruel and manipulative._

“What does he know about me?” Hans muttered bitterly.

Footsteps jerked his attention to his left, and he shot to his feet to face whoever had found him. By the sound of it it seemed like only one person. That meant this confrontation wouldn’t take very long. He could handle the intruder easily.

But it was only the Mystery approaching, who was sopping wet with an equally wet bag. Both of them looked at each other for a few seconds, and the Mystery’s eyes fell onto Hans’s readied sword. Mentally shrugging it off, the Mystery tossed the full bag to Hans, who merely watched him go by. And he noticed that the thief was holding his arm.

“You’re hurt,” Hans found himself saying.

The Mystery shot him a look before tossing an empty sheath toward him, and it was a perfect fit for Hans’s sword. But all Hans did was watch him slip behind a tree and return with a small roll of gauze. Then he was off into the woods.

With a frown, Hans sheathed his sword and set it down. He climbed the tree he was by and began picking off branches suitable for kindling. Of course, knowing the Mystery he probably stole some coal and stashed it somewhere. But he didn’t want to press his luck.

Setting the sticks down in the middle, he was about to rub two of them together when he stopped. Someone might see the smoke and find them, and he knew neither of them wanted that.

_Better to be in the dark than to be seen._

The Mystery returned with his wound tended to, the rip on his sleeve exposing a bit of the gauze. He then noticed the pile of sticks near Hans and glanced to him.

“We’ll be exposing our location,” Hans explained. “I assumed you would know something like that.”

The Mystery bit back a sigh and put away the gauze in exchange for a small notebook. He wrote for a few minutes before handing the book to a mildly annoyed Hans.

~ _This is a hidden realm that links the Southern Isles and Arendelle together as well as another kingdom. No one else knows it exists except for the two of us._

“So, this realm has magic,” Hans guessed.

A nod.

“What other kingdom does this link to?”

The Mystery hesitated before writing again. ~ _I can’t remember the name._

“You can’t remember, or you won’t tell me?”

_~I won’t tell you._

Hans searched the Mystery’s eyes in what fading light there was, and after only a few moments the Mystery dropped his gaze. _What are you hiding. . . ?_

The prince’s gaze suffocated him, and the Mystery busied himself with starting the fire.

“Tell me how long you’ve known about this place.”

The Mystery wrote for only a few seconds. ~ _Years._

“And this is where you live.”

The Mystery nodded.

“By yourself.”

A slow nod.

Hans continued to study him. “Are you sure no one will find us?”

_~Yes. Now shut up and eat._

Hans felt something flare up, but he held his tongue. Instead he continued to watch the Mystery encourage the fire to grow, and the area soon became bathed in a warm orange glow. After grabbing an apple, Hans passed the bag and the notebook to him, and the duo ate in silence for a handful of moments.

“I don’t think I ever thanked you for bringing me food,” Hans finally said. “Twice.”

_~You’re welcome._

He turned the apple a few times. “You went to Arendelle, didn’t you?”

_~Better than the Southern Isles._

“I thought you would avoid Arendelle considering your crime against it.”

_~Like I said, I need to live. And so do you. Unless you’d rather starve._

Hans snorted. “I’m surprised they didn’t let me starve while I was in prison.”

The Mystery frowned from underneath his scarf.

Silence settled in again, and Hans found his gaze drifting to the flames. _“You weren't always cruel and manipulative.”_ “Just how much do you know about me?”

_~Where do you want me to start?_

“I’d prefer if you told me.”

The Mystery studied the notebook for a few moments before writing, appearing to choose his words carefully. Hans watched him, and the Mystery felt his gaze on him.

_~I know everything that you did in Arendelle. Everything. I’ve seen how you were before you took a wrong turn. I know all of your brothers have mistreated you except for Prince Lars. Even your father neglected you. Your mother loved you, though. Your horse Sitron is practically your only friend. You blend into your surroundings to suit others, and you make yourself a mirror. And there’s something else about you that’s very unique._

_~Anything else?_

Several thoughts and emotions flared up, and his grip on the notebook tightened and loosened.

“How do you know all of this?” Hans asked, his voice tightly controlled.

The pencil remained still against the paper for a few moments. ~ _I watched._

He shot the Mystery an unamused look. “For how long?”

_~Some time._

Hans studied him skeptically. “And yet you managed to go unseen for all that time. Until recently.”

A nod.

He wasn’t satisfied with the Mystery’s answers, but he figured it was better than nothing. “And yet you still want to give me this second chance.”

Another nod.

“How?”

_~I’ll figure something out._

“And if you don’t?”

A reply was quickly written down. ~ _Who said I wouldn’t?_

Determination. He had to admit, he liked that, even if it was from a murderous thief. “Murderers and thieves only help themselves.”

_~I’m helping you._

A bitter laugh slipped out. “You actually think Queen Elsa and Princess Anna will even consider giving me a second chance?”

A nod.

Hans was surprised that he was surprised at the nod.

_~You want to talk more tomorrow? Get some sleep._

Another bitter laugh. “How do I know you won’t kill me?”

The Mystery wrote something down, and he was about to hand the book to the prince when he realized he had said the same thing to someone else. Someone he hadn’t seen in years. _I wonder what he looks like now._

Shoving away any other thoughts, he handed the book to Hans before he decided to ask any more questions. ~ _I won’t hurt you._

The redhead glanced to the Mystery, whose gaze slowly met his.

With a frown, Hans handed the notebook back, and the Mystery tore out the full pages and tossed them into the fire. Settling down, the Mystery gave one last look before closing his eyes. He heard Hans shift in place, and he opened his eyes to see Hans leaning against the tree with his sword close by. The prince watched him with an unreadable gaze, and the Mystery met his eyes before closing his own.


	8. Working Together and Trying To Break the Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title's kinda meh but at least I've finally updated! Had this one sitting longer than I would've liked.

Her heels sounded against the carpeted halls as she stifled a yawn. Another busy day. Just when she thought she had tightened security, the Mystery makes an appearance. No one had been severely hurt like last night, and everyone was still breathing. But one of the guards did say he managed to land a hit before the Mystery took off with food yet again.

At least that was the only thing he stole. Still, it was food from her people.

Which reminded her—she hadn’t seen Anna for most of the day. She hadn’t even been at dinner. But then again, the queen had been very busy today, but even then she would always make time for her little sister.

She sighed and brushed a stray hair back. Approaching Anna’s bedroom door, she knocked gently.

“Anna? Are you okay?”

Silence.

She opened the door a bit and poked her head in. Anna was nowhere to be seen.

_Maybe she’s in the library._

The queen continued down the hall and stifled another yawn. Anna must’ve lost track of time in there. Majorly. And come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Olaf, either. He would probably be with her. Or somewhere else in the castle.

The castle.

She and Anna had been told to remain within its walls until the Mystery was no longer a threat. She could only imagine how scared the people were now, knowing a criminal was still on the loose.

And that one of the guards had—

She pushed that thought aside as she came across the library. Opening the door, she spotted Anna reading by lamp light with Olaf asleep in a chair across from her.

Or at least, Anna was trying to read. She kept drifting in and out of sleep.

“Anna?”

Anna snorted awake and looked to her. “Oh. Elsa.” She yawned.

“You were in here all day?”

“Not . . . the whole day. Just . . . a lot of it.”

Elsa noted the empty tea cup. “Have you eaten anything?”

“Yeah I did. I just ate in here.”

“Hmm.” Elsa skimmed over the numerous book sprawled across the table. One book called _History of Corona_ caught her eye. “Brushing up on history?”

“Just doing a little research project.”

“Research project?”

“I’m trying to figure some things out about the Mystery. Like if he’s been anywhere else or if he has an attack pattern or something. One of the guards mentioned Corona, but I haven’t found him anywhere in books about that place." Anna paused. "I . . . wanted to help you out.”

Elsa smiled softly. “I really appreciate the help, Anna, but maybe we should get back to this tomorrow.”

“But I’m—” Anna yawned, “almost done with this one.”

“You were falling asleep.”

Anna deflated. “All right. I guess I’ll call it a night.” She paused for a bit. “Wait did you say ‘we’?”

“Of course. I’m just as curious about the Mystery as you are.”

“Then it’s settled!”

Olaf shifted in his sleep, prompting Anna to clamp a hand over her mouth.

“All right, off to bed, both of you,” Elsa gently chided.

 

**___________**

 

The smell of food roused Hans from his sleep. He half expected birds to be chirping in the sunlight, but then he recalled nothing lived here. It was just him and the Mystery.

As he blinked sleep away, he found himself facing the tree he was by, and his sword was no longer in front of him. Sitting up, he turned around to see the Mystery roasting a fish over a fire.

The Mystery gave him a brief wave. Fish wasn’t exactly Hans’s idea of breakfast, but it didn’t mean he minded it.

The Mystery pointed toward something near him, and Hans looked down at the open notebook. And his sword had remained untouched.

_~How’d you sleep?_

Hans gave him a skeptical look. “Fine.”

The Mystery nodded, and he handed the skewered fish to the redhead. It was roasted fairly well and was properly prepared—to the best of one being out in some mystical woods.

Still skeptical, Hans merely glanced between the fish and the thief.

The Mystery sighed through his nose before pointing to the notebook again and turning his hand over. Hans then proceeded to turn the page.

_~It’s not poisoned if that’s what you’re thinking._

Hans gave him another look before taking the stick. The Mystery took the notebook as Hans bit into the fish. It tasted very well for—wait was that rosemary? That was surprising.

“This is . . . very nice,” he concluded.

The Mystery nodded, and Hans noticed a patch in place of the tear.

“I see you’ve fixed you sleeve.”

Another nod.

“With stolen material.”

The Mystery tilted his hand from side to side.

Silence settled over the duo, and the Mystery’s attention remained on the fire. He remembered when his friend used to make fish like that, although his had more seasonings on it. Every time he brought over those ingredients, he knew what they were having.

But that was ages ago.

Now that memory was just something he used to not die out here.

Hans tossed the stick into the fire, and the Mystery flinching didn't go unnoticed.

“About our conversation last night,” Hans started.

The Mystery looked to him.

“I still have questions that need answering.”

The Mystery gestured for him to keep going.

“What is this ‘unique quality’ you claim I have?”

_~Something fierce. I don’t think you should know just yet._

“And why shouldn’t I know?”

_~One thing at a time. First we need to get you to Queen Elsa and Princess Anna._

Hans frowned. This thief absolutely loved dodging questions. “This will work how, exactly?”

_~They’re uptight because of me. We let things cool down first before I get you in._

“And you have a plan for this?”

 _~I’m working on it._ And if his plan was going to work, there were some things that needed to be done. Which required some . . . doing.

“Do you mind telling me about this plan of yours?”

_~Yes. I do mind._

Hans frowned again.

The Mystery sighed and wrote again. _~Look, I’m sorry. It’s nothing that has to do with you. I’m the problem._

Hans raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

The Mystery’s pencil remained glued to the paper before he wrote a single word. He paused again and chose his words carefully. And Hans simply analyzed him.

After a while the Mystery handed the notebook to the prince. _~Yes. In order for it to work, we need to trust each other. And I’m sure you’re having a tough time trusting me like I am with you._

“You’re a criminal.”

_~So are you._

A bitter laugh escaped Hans. “I suppose I am.”

_~So one of us has to budge._

Hans cast him a look before shifting in his place. “Tell me the name of the other kingdom this realm connects to.”

_~It’s personal._

“Was it your home?”

The Mystery shook his head.

A straight answer. Or a lie. “Then why stay here? Thieves are usually on the move.”

_~Quite a few kingdoms want me dead. I’d rather stay here._

“Fair point.”

The Mystery held his hand out, and Hans handed him the notebook. _~I’m surprised you kept me alive._

“I don’t have an interest in finishing you off. Besides, I want to know how your plan will go.”

_~So you’re only curious, or you actually want that second chance?_

Hans regrettably found himself unable to answer right away, and the Mystery once again held his hand out.

_~Like I said before, I’m giving it to you because—_

“I wasn’t always cruel and manipulative. You’ve said this.”

_~You know I’m right._

“You claimed to have watched me.”

_~And I did._

“And I’m supposed to believe you.”

_~You have every right not to, but I’m telling the truth._

“You have a point.” Hans ran a hand through his hair and plucked out a leaf.

_~Fix that hair of yours. You’re supposed to be a prince._

At Hans’s unreadable expression, the Mystery smirked.


	9. New and a Bit Alarming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty sure it's obvious where the chapter title came from. ;) Anyway cameos everywhere!

The library once again was occupied by not only Anna, but Elsa as well. Both of them had tea cups, and Elsa was engrossed in _History of Corona_. And she couldn’t believe she had forgotten how interesting it was.

Anna had mentioned something about an incomplete part of a passage when she had read it. Of course, Elsa hadn’t come across it yet, but she was looking forward to it. It was probably removed information about the Mystery. Or something else entirely. Then again if it was anything on the Mystery, Anna would've said so by now.

Anna finished the book she was reading with a sigh. “Well, he wasn’t in this one. Not one sentence.”

“He has to be mentioned in at least one of these books,” Elsa said. She turned a page and took a sip of her tea.

“Maybe I should ask the guards and see if they’ve heard anything.”

“We’re not allowed to leave the castle, remember?”

“I know,” Anna groaned.

Elsa looked over to her. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but the sooner we gather information on him the sooner we’ll be able to open the gates. And keep Arendelle safe.”

A few moments after she returned to her book, she gasped. “Anna look!”

“You found something?”

“Not quite. It’s the passage you mentioned.”

Anna scurried over to Elsa.

“ ‘Ma . . . gol . . . er . . . with . . . gni . . . ent . . . he. . . .’ Hmm. . . .”

“Weird, right?”

“Very. I wonder why the author removed that.”

“I tried for hours to figure it out, but everything I came up with didn’t really make any sense.”

Elsa thought for a few moments. “What if what healed the queen was magic?”

“I mean . . . we have magic here so it can’t be that farfetched.”

“Maybe. . . .”

Anna went back to her seat and placed her book in the “finished” pile. The next book up was—

 _Oh_ , she thought. “ _Deadliest Criminals Known and Unknown to Man_. Oh boy.”

Taking in a breath, she opened the book and carefully ran her finger down the Index. Some names were normal—for a criminal. Others were . . . a bit weird. And other names were just gruesome.

_Well the book has “Deadliest” in its name for a reason._

It was a long couple of minutes before she finally came across the Mystery’s name.

“Ah ha! Yes!” Anna cheered.

“You found him?” Elsa asked.

“Yup!”

Elsa set her book down as Anna flipped to the Mystery’s first mentioning.

 

_The Mystery made his first move in Old Corona stealing knives from an armory in the night. Several witnesses tried to stop him only to lose him in the woods. The next week, food was stolen, and the leader of the village at the time as well as some other brave men pursued him. But the Mystery slipped from their fingers after he lashed out, gravely injuring three men and killing one in the process. And of course, the tale was quick to spread to the rest of the kingdom._

_After that, however, it seemed as though he vanished without a trace. But he himself was never forgotten._

_Some say he ruthlessly killed more than one man that night, each with a single strike. Others say he was more discrete with his methods, branding him a silent killer._

_But one thing was clear—the Mystery was a deadly criminal who murdered and stole with no remorse._

 

“He . . . really made an impression,” Anna said.

“All the more reason to get rid of him,” Elsa stated. A quizzical expression slowly came across her features. “Something’s not right.”

“Like what?”

Elsa grabbed _History of Corona_. “That passage is talking about Quirin. He’s mentioned in here doing the same thing. Look.”

Anna looked to the paragraph her sister was pointing to. And sure enough, Elsa was right, despite it being a brief overview. “Guess I must’ve missed that part.”

“There’s something else. But . . . maybe I’m overthinking things.”

“What is it?”

“How can the Mystery be back then and here at the same time?”

“Maybe he took the name from there and used it for himself?”

Elsa thought about it. “Maybe you’re right.”

 

Metal scraping against stone accompanied the quiet rustling of the leaves, and Hans sat up against a tree with his arm resting on his knee. Not much conversation had been made between him and the Mystery, mainly because neither of them bothered to converse with each other. And Hans was content with analyzing his surroundings since this “realm” was going to be his new home now.

_Rather it be here than the Isles._

His eyes briefly glanced over to the Mystery busying himself with a knife before turning his gaze to deeper into the forest.

“Where does that lead?” Hans asked.

The Mystery followed his gaze. Finding the notebook, he wrote for a short time before handing the book to Hans. _~Nothing but a river._

Hans studied the area for a few minutes. The Mystery had stated that this realm connected to the Southern Isles, Arendelle, and another kingdom that he refused to name. Who’s to say that the river couldn’t lead to other kingdoms? After all, rivers always went somewhere.

With a contemplative frown, he rose from his position and began to walk. Just as his back was to the Mystery, a pebble was thrown at his head, making him abruptly turn around. The Mystery waved his fingers under his chin repeatedly.

“You said there was nothing but a river,” Hans quoted. “So you shouldn’t mind me seeing where it leads.”

The Mystery merely stared at the prince, who noticed the Mystery’s grip on his knife flex. A short but tense period of silence was followed by the Mystery’s small sigh through the nose, leading him to write in the notebook.

_~Then I’m going with you so you don’t get yourself killed._

“I appreciate your concern, but I think I can handle myself,” Hans replied matter-of-factly.

The Mystery's eyes challenged him, and Hans mirrored his gaze. This prince was being a mirror again. The Mystery had witnessed this being done before, but having the Mirror set on him . . . unnerved him.

A few more moments passed before the Mystery broke from his gaze, busying himself instead with putting away his knife and hiding the notebook behind a tree.

 _He knows something_ , Hans thought.

When the Mystery faced him again, his eyes were set behind the prince. Nonetheless, Hans continued on his way with the Mystery a little more than a respectable distance beside him.

Underneath his scarf, the Mystery was biting his lip, willing his nerves to calm themselves. He didn’t want to go back. He swore to himself he wouldn’t go back for anything. Yet here he was actually going along with Prince Hans of the Southern Isles right back to that place. He should’ve known the prince would want to see every inch of this place. Maybe he was planning to escape to somewhere else to start a new life instead of getting that second chance.

Of course, he wouldn’t blame Hans. There were very few things left for the prince in the Isles, and Arendelle was a trap waiting to ensnare him should he ever show his face.

But Hans wasn’t always cruel and manipulative.

That’s why he wanted to give the prince that second chance.

But if Hans didn’t want it, the Mystery couldn’t force anything onto him. It was his choice as to whether or not he would let the Mystery help. And it was the Mystery’s choice as to whether or not he would open up or not.

Hans came to a stop. Before the duo laid different paths going in different directions, the river seeming to branch out into the same amount of paths there were. He snuck a suspicious sideways glance at the Mystery, who was as stiff as a board.

 _Only a river?_ Hans thought accusingly.

He hopped across some stones in the river and took the leftmost path. The Mystery’s light footsteps didn’t follow until Hans was well onto the other side.

 _Maybe this is the kingdom he refuses to name._ “You knew about this.”

The Mystery pointed to the ground and shook his head.

“So you’ve never been down this path.”

The Mystery shook his head again. But Hans still remained suspicious of him even though the Mystery didn’t appear as tense as moments before.

The gentle babbles of the river quickly faded away, and the duo came across a shore similar to the one that lead to the Southern Isles. The only difference was that instead of bleeding into sand, the shore was dirt and grass, and the roots of the trees were clearly visible and coming close to the shore.

Both of them studied the area, and Hans cast a quick glance at the Mystery. The tension that had been radiating off of him was gone now, but judging by how stiff he looked, Hans didn’t seem to think he was completely relaxed.

The Mystery felt Hans’s gaze, and he forcibly shed his unease in favor of gesturing to the water. After briefly holding eye contact, Hans made for the water. The two of them sucked in some air before submerging themselves underwater. The salt stung Hans’s eyes, forcing him squint.

But he was used to physical pain, anyway.

It was a good handful of minutes before the vegetation began to change. The Mystery was the first to make for the surface, and Hans wasn’t too far behind him. The sky above was beginning to don its orange garbs, a few clouds scattered about. Ancient-looking ships were stationed by the docks they had arrived at with peculiar sails and stemposts. But what stood out to them were the shields decorating the sides. . . .

“These are Viking ships,” Hans realized. “What could they be doing here?”

The Mystery shrugged. _I have no idea._

“They must’ve been rebuilt, restored somehow.”

The Mystery shrugged again.

Curiosity beckoning them, the duo climbed out of the water and squeezed their clothes dry. Everything about the area screamed “rugged,” and it seemed . . . ancient. The wooden walkway built into the rock continued from the docks and all the way up until it reached the top, where something that looked like a large doorway could barely be seen. The Mystery was sure he had never been here before, but something was telling him he had. And he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.

“We’ll have to explain how we came here,” Hans pointed out.

The Mystery pointed to himself and then his head.

“You have an idea.”

The Mystery pointed to the sky and rested his hands against his head as if he was sleeping.

“You want to wait until night.”

A nod.

“If we’re caught we’ll be seen as intruders. I’m sure you don’t want to be seen as a criminal here also.”

There was a moment of silence before the Mystery pointed to the water.

“That’s your solution?”

The Mystery hesitated before nodding, and Hans glanced to the top of the walkway.

To the people here it would seem as though they had appeared out of nowhere. They had no ship, and he was sure both of them could agree that saying they came out of the water from a magical realm would sound ludicrous. And although Hans was curious about where they had ended up and why the people had seemingly remade Viking ships, he wanted to avoid problems. And he was sure the Mystery would agree.

“We’ll turn back,” Hans finally said.

“Hey!”

The duo looked up to see some sort of oversized flying blue lizard with plenty of spikes on its tail. And someone was riding it.

Within a heartbeat the Mystery jumped back into the water, and Hans was quick to follow.

The rider hummed in thought, eyeing the docks. _Who were those two?_

Meanwhile underwater, the Mystery was swimming as fast as he could. He’d never sensed that person—girl—before. Her presence was both feisty and confident, but it held a sort of understanding to it. Either way, he had been seen.

Correction— _they_ had been seen.

 _Not going back there again_ , the Mystery thought. _And what was she riding, anyway?_

Hans had never seen a creature like that before, not even in books. And judging by the ships, its rider could’ve been a Viking, which would mean that the Mystery and he had gone back to the time of Vikings.

Who apparently rode giant winged creatures.

Hans shook his head. No. Impossible. That was the kind of stuff found in fiction. He’d have to settle on the theory that the citizens were _not_ Vikings and had remade those ships. And that they rode strange beasts.

The vegetation changed, and it was a few moments before the duo broke the surface. And there they were, back at the shore they had found.

After swimming to it, they once again squeezed the water out of their clothes.

“I’m guessing you wouldn’t want to see to the others paths,” Hans quipped.

The thief's reply was obviously going to be a coin flip. The Mystery had been here for years, yet he hardly ventured out to these other pathways. Either it was because he didn’t care to or he was scared. He doubted it was because of fear, but then again the Mystery had said he was afraid of getting captured. But weren’t all criminals like that?

The Mystery looked to the ground in thought before leading the way, going against his better judgment of staying put. He once again felt that redhead’s eyes on him, and footsteps jogging after him brought his attention to the prince catching up to him.

 _Maybe this won’t be completely terrible_ , the Mystery thought.


	10. "Thanks For Not Letting Me Get Killed"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I have updated! Yes! Ugh, I was going insane not posting new chapters. I really need a schedule or something.

After they had eaten from their small food supply, Hans and the Mystery followed another branch of the river down a second path. The Mystery had to admit, he was looking forward to where this would lead. And as long as they didn’t go anywhere near “that path” he was fine.

The river eventually turned away, and the duo came across another shore. This one was covered in a layer of grass, much like the previous one. But unlike the previous one, moss covered spots of the trees. And the water looked dark.

Hans frowned as he studied the area more, but the Mystery was already making for the water. And Hans had no choice but to follow.

In the water, it wasn’t at all murky like he had assumed. And it wasn’t salty, so that was a welcome change.

A small handful of minutes passed before the vegetation changed. Both of them swam to the surface, and they were greeted with a thick forest and a darkened sky. Caution slowly grew within them as they swam out of the pond, and the Mystery was getting a nagging sense of familiarity.

“Do you have any idea where we are?” Hans asked.

The Mystery studied their surroundings before shrugging.

Finding two decently sized sticks, the prince rubbed them together until they were both alight. He then handed one of them to the Mystery before setting off.

They could find anything out here, wherever “here” was. Hans flipped through his memory for anything that could possibly give an identity to their location. The vegetation wasn’t much to go on, and the only wildlife around was crickets. If they were lucky, they might find someone else out here, and maybe that someone would be a native.

A branch cracked above them, forcing them to stop. They scanned the treetops for anything out of the ordinary, but it was becoming too dark to see that far up. The Mystery held his breath as the two of them scanned their surroundings.

A bush rustled to Hans’s left.

A twig snapped to the Mystery’s right.

Then silence.

Hans’s hand drifted to his hilt, and he scanned the area for a figure in the shadows.

Growling crept up behind them, and they slowly turned around. Raising his torch higher, the Mystery picked out steely eyes multiplying by the second.

One of the creatures dared to step closer to the light. A shadowy paw was followed by a leg, and soon the rest of it made it clear what they were up against.

“Run!” Hans urged.

The creatures barked and howled as the duo practically sprinted blindly through the woods. Howling brought Hans’s attention to his left, where more of the creatures were running after them.

One of them lunged for the Mystery, and he swung his torch at it to drive it away. But another tackled him down from behind. A howling screech sounded in his ear, and the weight was suddenly lifted off of him. He looked up at Hans glancing down at him with sword in hand, and the Mystery scrambled to his feet.

Something bright flickered in the corner of his eye, and the Mystery spotted a small fire beginning to spread from his fallen torch. Grabbing fistfuls of dirt, he threw it onto the fire until there was nothing left.

Hans thrust his torch toward a creature and sliced at another, making it dissipate into the air. The creatures felt solid, and yet they appeared as though they were mere phantoms. These had to have been conjured by magic. And if that was true, then their conjurer was most likely dangerous.

One of the creatures tugged on the Mystery’s cloak, and he immediately kicked it away. Another accompanied by a third forced him back toward the trees. Cracking his whip, he broke through the scuffle only for claws to tear across his leg. A cry was bit short, bringing Hans’s attention to the Mystery briefly.

A set of teeth bit into Hans’s torch arm, and he slammed the pommel of his sword onto the creature’s head until it released. Another tackled him to the ground, and he held its jaws back with his sword. Something warm was very close to his leg, and it was nicking him. He spotted the orange glow of fire and moved his leg as best as he could, but a set of teeth nearly nipping his nose forced him to stare right into the creature’s eyes.

The creature cried out as a whip wrapped around its torso and yanked it off of Hans. The prince’s next immediate instinct was to get as far away from the small fire as possible. He expected to feel a searing pain in his calf, so much so that he almost did feel it. But instead his boot was just scorched, and all he felt was an oddly comfortable warmth.

 _No time to think about that_ , Hans thought.

He threw dirt onto the fire until it was out, and he grabbed his sword to swing at the first bark he heard. Now that they were in complete darkness, it was hard to see. Not to mention he couldn’t even see the Mystery since his clothes were so dark.

If they were going to survive this, they needed to work together.

“Head for the middle!” Hans ordered.

The Mystery warded off another creature and darted for the spot only to be cut off. Claws raked across his whip arm, making him drop his weapon. Grimacing, he fished for his knife and brandished it toward the creatures. Hans picked out the Mystery’s silhouette as well as the eyes of the beasts and expertly slashed at the creatures.

Blindly the Mystery felt the ground for his whip. His hand brushed up against the handle (or at least he hoped it was the handle and not a snake), and he snatched it up before stashing his knife away.

A hand grabbed his wrist and yanked him out of range of a set of jaws. Reflexively he jerked his wrist free.

“We’re outnumbered. We can’t fight them all!” Hans pointed out.

 _Oh. That hand was him_ , the Mystery thought.

Stabbing a creature coming close to Hans, the Mystery grabbed Hans’s wrist to pull him along. The redhead then yanked his own wrist free and shot the Mystery a curt look.

“There has to be somewhere we can lose them,” Hans said.

The Mystery growled. They were running blind! How could they see anything?!

He risked lashing his whip out at one of the creatures that was close to him. They would probably die out here. But then again, he’s survived for this long. Maybe he could keep going.

Hans once again grasped the Mystery’s wrist and jerked him to the side. They dropped to the ground and pressed themselves up against what felt like a boulder. His grip still remained as the creatures ran past them. But none of them dared to move.

 _That was too easy. There was no way they would just keep going_ , the Mystery thought.

They waited in silence for what felt like ages. Nothing of those creatures was heard, not even their scuffling.

Finally, the duo breathed a sigh of relief, and Hans released his hold on the Mystery.

“We should be safe for now,” Hans said lowly.

The Mystery peeked around the boulder for a few moments before slowly standing up. Hans followed suit, and the duo carefully walked backwards only to tumble down a hill. Hans slammed into a tree, and the Mystery kept going for a few moments before coming to a stop.

Groaning, the Mystery picked himself up and dusted himself, wincing at the slashes on his right hand opening further. _Yeah that’s enough action for today._

 

**___________**

 

Hans blew on the newborn flames until they grew, and he sat back against the wall of the small cave they had found. He watched the Mystery secure his cravat around his right arm as best as he could, the magenta a stark contrast against the navy blue of the thief’s clothes.

Hans removed his jacket and carefully rolled up the sleeve to his shirt. He couldn’t help wincing at the bite marks. They were so red, and frankly he didn’t want to burn the disgusting image into his mind.

Pulling out a handkerchief, Hans was about to begin wrapping when movement brought his attention to the Mystery coming to closer. The thief held a hand out, and Hans's immediate response was to deny his help. He could handle himself. He always did.

But when he made eye contact, there was a genuine look to the Mystery’s eyes that he didn’t recall ever seeing before.

Hans handed the handkerchief to the Mystery, and the thief carefully went to work.

“. . . Thanks for . . . not letting me get killed.”

The prince looked to the Mystery. A feminine voice. “. . . You’re welcome.”

Silence again.

“I should thank you for helping me also.”

“You’re welcome.” The Mystery secured the handkerchief. “You got everything else?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Hans ripped off a piece of his tailcoat. “I wasn’t expecting you to speak.”

“Surprised?”

“Somewhat.” He handed the Mystery another handkerchief, to which the latter glanced to before taking it for her leg.

“Once we get back we’ll use the gauze. Then you can have this thing back.” The Mystery held up the arm bearing the cravat.

“Of course.”

The two settled into silence, and the Mystery picked at the berries they had managed to find.

“Do you have a name?”

The Mystery thought about it. “. . . Courtney. And I’m not lying.”

“Your parents?”

“Next question.” Her tone was harsh, and a frown tugged at Hans’s lips.

“Do you have siblings?”

“No.”

He debated on asking for her age, but that would’ve been rude. Even though he considered her rude at times.

“Anything else?”

Hans mused for a few moments. “. . . I would like that second chance.”

“It’s not going to be easy.”

“I know.”

“Good. Now get some sleep. I’m taking first watch.”

“I think I should be the one taking first watch.”

“I’ll wake you when it’s your shift. Now go to sleep.”

The two stared each other down for a few moments before Hans ultimately sighed and made himself comfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the events of Frozen 2 this is basically an AU of sorts since Hans is more or less dead to the Frozen crew.


	11. Blue Lights

 

> _She studied the water with her knees tucked under her chin. The pond glittered underneath the setting sun, the few patches of cattails amidst it swaying in the breeze. She wondered if he was coming today. He told her he was going to. In fact he promised he would._
> 
> _Several twigs and leaves crunched and snapped, making her jerk her scarf and hood back on._
> 
> _“Caw caw!” someone called._
> 
> _Her shoulders relaxed, and she eased her hood and scarf down. “Caw caw!”_
> 
> _Standing up, she saw the boy her age with blonde hair and gray eyes carrying some bottles of assorted earth tones. One of the bottles she easily recognized contained rosemary._
> 
> _“You scared me!”_
> 
> _“Sorry,” he replied. Now that he was coming into the light, she picked out two homemade fishing poles in his arms._
> 
> _“Won’t your parents catch you sneaking out?”_
> 
> _“Mom and Dad won’t be home until sundown, so we should be okay.”_
> 
> _“Okay.”_
> 
> _The two of them each took a fishing pole and settled onto the small pier._
> 
> _“Tomorrow my dad’s gonna show me how to catch fish without a fishing pole,” the boy whispered, hoping not to scare the fish away._
> 
> _“Can you show me, too?” she asked also in a whisper._
> 
> _The boy hesitated. He almost forgot she had a knife with her. Girls her age didn’t have knives. They had hairpins and that kind of girly stuff. “S-sure. I’ll show you.”_

Courtney’s eyes flew open. The first thing she saw was the ash and soot of a long dead fire. Then her eyes went to Hans just glancing over to her.

Sitting up, she wiped her wet face with her scarf. She should’ve been up already.

“You’re awake,” Hans stated.

“So are you,” Courtney quipped, and Hans had to refrain from rolling his eyes. “How’s that bite mark?”

“Fine, thank you. What about you?”

“I’m sore but I’ll live. And we’ll be better once we head back.”

After situating themselves, the two set out to retrace their steps.

“Judging by their appearance it seems unlikely for those wolves to appear in the day,” Hans pointed out. “But if they were magic and someone conjured them, then there may be a chance of encountering them.”

“Then we move quicker,” Courtney replied, and she took the lead, forcing Hans to jog up to her.

He briefly thought back to their encounter with those wolves. “They were very keen on taking you for themselves.”

“Oh is that what they were doing?”

He frowned at the sarcasm in her tone.

“They probably saw me as the weaker of the two of us. Easy prey.”

“Or their maker was interested in you.”

Courtney’s heel scuffed against the ground, and Hans was quick to take notice. “Well they should’ve been interested in you. You’re a prince.” _With a unique quality._

Hans laughed bitterly. “Of course.”

“Say what you want. You’re a prince whether you like it or not.”

Growling jerked them to a halt, and both of them turned to Hans’s right. Those steely eyes from before were back and closing in on them. It was a small pack, but they were still dangerous nonetheless.

Without hesitation, the duo bolted off.

“We need to retrace our steps!” Hans urged.

“Obviously!” Courtney snapped. But everything seemed completely different in broad daylight. And they were running from demonic wolves. _You’ve been in tighter situations than this._

Yanking her whip out, Courtney watched for a low-hanging branch before grabbing Hans and latching her whip onto the closest one. Hans felt teeth graze the back of his heel as they went up, and the two used their momentum to grab onto a branch. The wolves clawed at the tree as the duo put more distance between them and the creatures. He knew he should be used to suddenly being taken up by her, but strangely he wasn’t. In fact most of the time he wished she wouldn’t keep doing that.

Courtney hissed as she slowly flexed her whip hand, and she surveyed the area. She couldn’t recognize anything from last night no matter how much she tried to match the silhouettes of the trees. And she’d rather figure it out as quickly as possible before the wolves figure out how to climb. “Anything look familiar?”

Hans studied the area. Frankly last night didn’t do much to help him figure out how to get back to that pond. There weren’t even any notable landmarks he could recall from last night. “No.” He glanced down at a wolf managing to climb up a few inches before sliding back down. “But we need to get rid of those wolves if we’re going to figure out how to get back.”

“There’s too many. We’ll be overrun and we won’t be as lucky as last time.”

Hans frowned. They were sitting ducks, then. _Think, Hans. There has to be a way out._

Courtney broke off a small branch and chucked it at the wolves below. If there was a way to trigger that trait in Hans they might have a chance to get away. Then again, she’d rather not deal with whatever repercussions it might have—not out here, and certainly not before Hans gets that second chance. _Fine, then._

Hans noticed Courtney making her way to the back of the tree. “And where are you going?”

She ignored him as she started to cut at a decently sized branch with her knife. “Start getting lower.”

He studied her for a bit before glancing between the branch and the wolves. Pulling his sword out got her attention on him, and she grabbed the weapon to continue her work. It was a stupid idea, but it was better than nothing.

In no time the branch was free, and Courtney handed Hans’s sword back to him. She hopped to another branch before sending the one she cut down toward the wolves below. “Go!”

Hans leapt from the tree and landed with a roll. Seconds later, Courtney joined him, and the two took off running. Behind them, they noticed the pack was a few wolves short, but they were still outnumbered. Courtney lashed her whip at one that had managed to catch up to them, and Hans swung his sword at another close one.

“We can’t keep running from them!” Hans said as the wolves slowly gained ground.

“It’s better than being stuck in that tree!” Courtney snapped. A gasp slipped out as wolves materialized in front of them. In seconds they were surrounded, and the duo found themselves back to back.

“You were saying?” Hans caught Courtney's growl as he sliced a leaping wolf. They could get out of this. They just needed to survive until they were gone. Then they could finally get a moment’s peace to think properly.

Something blue caught his eye. Behind the wolves was a ball of blue light that seemed to stare at him, study him. Then it multiplied and formed a path of them. He knew he recognized those lights. He had read about them, but their name escaped him. Regardless, the lights were their way back.

With a grunt Hans demolished three wolves in one swing, and he grabbed Courtney’s arm. “Come on!”

He released his hold on her once she was in step with him, and Courtney laid eyes on their saving grace. Those blue lights—what were they?

She glanced to Hans, who was in serious concentration with his gaze locked onto them. He probably knew what they were, or he was desperate enough to follow them in hopes of getting away from those wolves.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Courtney asked.

“No, but they might,” Hans said, still fixated on the lights. A handful of stressful minutes later, the pond came into view, and the last of the blue lights vanished.

_Well. That’s lucky._

A wolf pounced onto her, and she was quickly swamped by the rest of them. She was barely able to pull her knife out to swing at them. The blade bit into them, but that didn’t seem to stop them from dragging her away from the pond.

Howls filled the air as Hans’s sword tore through them, and Courtney was hastily hoisted onto her feet. Hans didn’t let go until they had dived into the water, the wolves’ fierce protests muffled from underneath the surface. The duo studied one another before Courtney kept swimming, and Hans followed after her.

After they had reached the realm’s waters, they swam to shore, and Courtney plopped herself onto the ground with a breath.

“Are you all right?” Hans asked.

“I’ll live,” Courtney replied, ignoring her racing heart. “You?”

“I’ll be fine.” He squeezed water out of his gloves and glanced back to her. His cravat that he lent her had some red to it, and he guessed her other wounds had probably opened up again. “You said you had some gauze?”

“Yeah.” As if she hadn’t nearly been mauled by shadowy wolves, Courtney dusted herself off and walked away, squeezing water out of her clothes. “You mind telling me what those lights were?”

“I can’t remember their name, but I’ve read about them. They’re rumored to ‘lead you to your fate.’ ”

“Really.”

“It’s a rumor, but after what’s happened, it might not be a rumor anymore.”

Courtney snorted. “Whatever you say. Let’s just get patched up.”

She could feel his gaze on her, and she was really beginning to hate how penetrating it was. Those wolves really wanted her, didn’t they? Which in turn, meant their master wanted her, like Hans had suggested. _Well that’s yet another person that wants me._

They probably wanted her alive but not necessarily unscathed, and that was better than being wanted dead.

But none of that really mattered. She was staying here where it was safe, where she could survive.


End file.
